Cambridge Township

Cambridge Township

This town, situated on the Missouri, was formerly one of the principal shipping points in the county. It was first occupied in 1845, and regularly laid out in 1848. The first man that did business was F. A. Brightwell, and he built the first house. He was the first postmaster, the postoffice being established about the year 1845. The first school teachers in the place were G. P. Beswick and a Mr. Harvey. The first regular physician in the place was Dr. B. E. Powell, from Kentucky, at present in Glasgow. The first minister was Rev. Wm. M. Protsman, a Methodist. The only cemetery that ever belonged to the place was the one now in use, one and a half miles from town. The present town officers are Dr. J. H. Barnes, Thos. Holmes, D. M. McCormick and E. J. Dunlap. Thos. Holmes is chairman of the council.

As has been stated, the town of Cambridge was at one time a place of considerable importance, but the building of the Chicago & Alton railroad, or rather its location, away from the town, and the building of Slater and Gilliam have greatly damaged its prosperity. Houses have been moved to Slater, and business men have followed them.

M. E. Church, South

This church was originally at Old Jefferson, about three miles up the river from Cambridge. It was first organized in August, 1837. The first members were Robert and Mary Martyr, Winston and Frances Loving, Robert C. and America Land, Charlotte B. Land, John A. Hicks, Mary A. Wooldridge. The church was built in 1840 or 1841, and dedicated the same year by Rev. J. R. Bennett. It was a frame, and cost $700 or $800. The pastors of this church, until its removal to Cam- bridge, were George Bewley, B. R. Johnson, Hugh Dodds, W. P. Nichols, J. K. Lacy, and W. W. Jones. In 1854 a new house of worship was erected at Cambridge, being dedicated in the winter of 1854, by Rev. Mr. Mitchell. This also was a frame and cost about ^2,000. To this church the congregation removed and in it thereafter worshipped. The pastors have been Wm. Protsman, - Peterson, Wm. S. Brown, Wm. Compton, Geo. Savage, - Wharton, - Wallace, Gervis Smith, Luther Pulliam, McAllister, Berryman, Garden, A. M. Rader, Dr. Camp, Spencer Hogan, F. A. Taylor. Present membership, 150.

Odd Fellows Lodge The Town Of Stater

The town of Slater is situated on the line of the Chicago & Alton railway, twelve miles distant from Marshall, and twelve miles distant from Glasgow, and the railroad bridge over the Missouri river at that point. It was first laid off in 1878, and has now, in less than three years, a rapidly increasing population of eighteen hundred. But three years ago it was a corn-field, and now it is the railroad town of the C. & A. road, west of the Mississippi river. It is emphatically and essentially a railroad town, - backed up by a magnificent body of farming lands around it. The railroad interests, however, are the chief interests - and the C. & A. company seem to have concentrated and are still concentrating all their favors and working interests, west of the Mississippi river, here. Slater is one of the general divisions of the road, and the company have built here a splendid round-house and turn-table, large repair shops and handsome offices for train dispatcher and for division superintendent. The round-house is a large and costly building, with capacity to accommodate twenty locomotives. There are about ten miles of side-tracking at Slater. The com- pany already pay out to their employes, regiilarly employed in and around Slater, from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars, which is, of itself, sufficient to insure a good sized town.

But besides all the great advantages growing out of favorable relations with the railroad company. Slater holds an admirable natural position, in the very heart of one of the finest and most productive sections of Saline county. Marshall, her strongest competitor on the line of the railroad, is twelve miles away, and the competing river points are not nearer than ten to twelve miles.

The land upon which the town is built belonged to Josiah Baker, Jr., and to his sagacity, enterprise and spirit it owes its existence. He donated to the railway company 80 acres of the 160 upon which Slater is located for its necessary uses - round-house, depots, offices, side-tracks, work shops, etc., and each alternate block of the railroad front of the town - and by these means, and his continued enterprise and energy, has produced the splendid results exhibited.

Besides many tasteful and pleasant residences - most of them yet of wood - Slater has three churches, an extensive flouring mill and elevator, a fine three-story brick hotel, finely furnished, one brick banking house and bank, ten brick stores, two newspapers, one brick livery stable, and numerous frame business houses. As is usual in all new railroad towns, the population of Slater is a mixed one. Business men are there from every part of the Union; but its business men are live, energetic and enterprising, and the little city has before it a brilliant future.

The Town Of Slater

The town was named in honor of Col. Slater, of Chicago, a prominent director of the Chicago and Alton road. The first settlers in the place besides Mr. Baker, were Mahlon Hatfield, Hiram Liggett, T. B. Morris, J. Nauerth, Zahl Bros., Jas. Swink, W. P. Casebolt. Probably there were others. The first business establishment was the lumber yard of Ancell & Baker, in September, 1878, and the first business houses completed were those of W. P. Casebolt and Josiah Baker, Jr., in October following, the latter building being occupied by Jones Bros., druggists.

The first marriage was that of L. L. Alverson and Miss Sue Darnell, by J. W. Winning, a justice of the peace. The first death was that of a ten-year old son of Mrs. John Cutz.

The first regular physician was Dr. M. T. Fulcher (or Fulker) from Schuyler county, this State, late of Howard county, and now a resident of Brookfield. The first minister was Rev. Henry Eubank, of the Christian Church, and the first services were held in the house of worship belonging to that denomination. C. Q. Shouse was the next (perhaps the first). The first school house in the place was the old district school house, near the railroad in the southwestern part of town. Z. T. Bowen, now an attorney in the town, was the first teacher. He, had about thirty scholars, and received fifty dollars per month. The Christian Church was next used for a school building. An election has been called to vote $8,000 to erect a new and suitable building.

When the town was first laid out lumber was hauled from Arrow Rock, fifteen miles away, and from Cambridge, eight miles. There was a great scarcity of water. A good spring not far from town supplied many families and Mr. Baker furnished considerable.

The first newspaper in the place was the Slater Sentinel, which was established about the 1st of August, 1879, by Jas. W. Eastin, formerly of Glasgow, and son of one of the oldest editors in the State. The paper was democratic in its proclivities and placed at the head of its editorial columns a proposed presidential ticket for the next year as follows : "For President, W. W, Eaton, of Connecticut; for Vice President, Geo. G. Vest, of Missouri." The Sentinel did not long exist. The next paper was the Monitor, removed by Mr. Miller, its proprietor, from Marshall, and established at the latter place as a greenback temperance organ. The next was the Index, removed from Miami.

Churches In Slater Baptist Church

This church was formerly called Rehoboth Church, and the house of worship was located half a mile north of town, but on the building of the town the old structure was taken down and the material worked into the new church at Slater. Rehoboth Church was organized September 1, 1850. The original members were Daniel Hickerson, W. W. Field, W. E. Thomson, R. Y. Thompson, R. Johnson, Willis Holloway, B. Hampton, I. N. Graves, Claiborne Hill, Maria Hickerson, Francis Hickerson, Francis Hampton, Lucy T. Thompson, Anna L. Hampton, Lucy A. Thompson, Lucy A. Field, Martha Johnson, Rachel Huff. The old Rehoboth church was built in 1850; the new (Baptist Church of Slater) in 1880. The old church building cost $2,000. Noah Flood dedicated it on the fifth Sabbath of July, 1853; Rev. W. Pope Yeaman dedicated the new one August 29, 1880. Rev. Thos. Fristoe was called as first preacher of the old organization, November 1, 1851. Jos. S. Conners was first pastor of the new. The present membership is about one hundred. During the war an association was being held at Rehoboth. The militia arrested all of the ministers present and put them under bonds.

Ham Ewalt, C. H. White, R. P. Gwinn, Josiah Baker, T. J. Allen, L. P. Allen and H. G. Allen, Mary Bowen, Martha Thompson, C. H. Hickman, and about thirty others. The organization was effected in 1866. A church building was erected in 1867. It was a frame building and cost $2,000. In 1879 it was removed to the new town. It is not yet dedicated. Its pastors have been O. Spencer, Stephen Bush, Samuel McDaniel, M. M. Davis, R. A. Davis, C. Q. Shouse, and R. H. Hudson. The present membership is about 150. This church was originally called Mt. Zion,but is now called the Christian Church of Slater.

Methodist Episcopal Church, South

This church was organized in the summer of 1879. Andrew and James Bridges, A. Kirby, W. H. Dyer, H. C. Mead, A. F. Mead, M. T. Fulcher, A. F. Rector, John A. Rich, J. W. Gibbs, T. O. Mead, A. F. Frayley, and about thirty others. The church building was erected the same year. It was a frame and cost $1,600. A dedicatory sermon was preached in August, 1879, but a mistake having occurred whereby the church was found to still have an indebtedness upon it, another sermon was preached after the debt was extinguished, in September, 1880, by R^v. D. R. McAnally. Names of pastors - J. A. Murphy, F. H. Briggs and L. H. Vandiver. Number of members at present, about one hundred. The informant states: "When the enterprise of building a southern Methodist Church in this county was begun there were very few of that denomination living here, and therefore the imdertaking proved a great one; but owing to the indefatigable energy of about six men the money was all raised m less than two years, and the property of the church is worth about $2,000, and is entirely free from encumbrance. There is every prospect for success. The Sunday-school under the superintendency of C. W. Mead, numbers about one hundred members, mostly children."

Civic Societies Masonic

Cambridg^ Lodge, No. 53, A. F. and A. M., was organized at Cambridge, in 1866. The charter members were: J. W. Petty, W. Wharton, J. H. Barnes, S. H. Donahoe, W. D. Odendahl, L. M. Alexander, Wm. Burford. The first officers were: W. Wharton, L. M. Alexander, and J. W. Petty. The present officers are: R. L. Harvey, W. M.; E. W. Smith, S.W.; J. W. Gibbs, J. W.; Z. T. Bowen, secretary; Richard Fristoe, treasurer; Wm. Reid, S. D.; J. Jones, J. D.; George Nauerth, Tyler. The number of members is twenty-eight. There is no hall belonging to the lodge. Under a special dispensation from Joseph Brown, G. M. of the state, dated February 18, 1880, the lodge was removed from Cambridge to Slater. The lodge is now in a very prosperous condition, and there is a bright prospect for good work in the future.

Odd Fellows

Samaritan Lodge, No. 390, 1. O. O. F., was organized November 20, 1879, by A. A. Wheeler, D. D. G. M. The charter members were: E. Ancell, M. Hatfield, A. Durnill, J. Nauerth, and J. A. Stern. The first officers were: J. A. Stern, N. G.; M. Hatfield, V. G.; J. Nauerth, secretary; E. Ancell. The present officers are: E. Ancell, N. G.; N. H. Gaines, V.G.; M.Haas, recording secretary; J. W. Gibbs, permanent secretary; J. Nauerth, treasurer. Present number of members, at this time, twenty-nine. The lodge meets in a hall, in a brick building, built in August, 1879, by W. P. Casebolt, at a cost of $3,000.

Ancient Order Of United Workmen

Slater Lodge, A. O. U. W., was organized in 1879, by Rev. John. A. Brooks. The charter members were: Henry Eubank, H. C. Mead, Jacob Nauerth, John Martin, Wm. P. Casebolt, Geo. Young, Dr. F. A. Howard, E. C. Bernard, and J. W. Gibbs. The first officers were the , charter members mentioned. The present officers are: E. C. Bernard, Thos. C. Graves, R. A. Irvin, W. H. Norvell, T. F. Haynes, F. M. Brown, Geo. J. Deyer, E. D. Jones. The respective offices belonging to the first and last officers have not been furnished. There are twentythree members at this time. The lodge meets in a room in the building belonging to W. P. Casebolt, described in the sketch of the Odd Fellows' lodge.